the boy on the bridge ✔️

25. diner boy

Chapter 25 — diner boy

The next people on his list of people that he cares about are his friends — Valerie, Zach and Ming. And that's pretty much all the people on his list.

A very short list: he is aware. But that doesn't bother him really. It actually works for him, since Josh is not a people person. He prefers having only a few people close to him. He does talk to a quite a lot of people but these three are the ones he'll consider as his friends.

And as his sister, he is sure that his friends won't mind with his identity really. Valerie did come out as bisexual to them not long ago after all, and that did not change a single thing in their friendship. But again, that does nothing to dissuade his nerves.

He suggested to Val and Zach that they hang out after school, and they instantly agreed. He did invite Ming as well, but she said had something else to do. And so, it was only the three of them. Ming was never really close with his other friends anyway; Josh isn't even sure if they have met before.

They went to Lap-Up, their usual hangout spot. Josh declared that it was his treat and asked his friends to buy whatever they went. Zach didn't need to hear anything more and instantly got to ordering but Val eyed him suspiciously. Josh only smiled at her and asked her to go ahead.

And that's how they are now sitting at the table, Josh with a glass of chocolate milkshake, Valerie with her own glass of a blue-coloured drink and a plate of fries and Zach occupying most of the table with all the food he ordered — Josh is not even going to start listing his order.

One might think he's homeless and hasn't eaten for days at his behaviour. But Josh has known Zach for years now and so he isn't surprised — the boy can never control himself when it came to food and free food, of course he's not going to say no.

"So," Valerie is the first one to start talking, "What did you want to talk about?"

"What?" Josh looks up, surprised — he doesn't remember telling either of them why he wanted to hang out.

"You want to tell us something, right?"

"Umm... I don't know. Why?"

Val just shrugs, "Thought you had something to say. If not, why are we here?"

"We can't just hang out? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Josh and Zach used to hang out all the time, and then when Valerie moved in to their town, she joined too. But gradually that came to a stop. And to be frank, Josh will admit that it's because of him. It became too tiring for him, and he refused to spend any time out of his house unless it's to go to his school — that was also around the time he started sneaking out of the house and found the bridge where he can be truly alone. He started preferring his own company.

Josh realises now how wrong it was of him to push people away because he was unhappy with his life. It's not his friends' fault. It's not his fault either — that is something he is still conflicted about, but he is trying to work through it slowly.

He is just grateful that Zach and Val are still his friends even after him basically avoiding them for more than a few instances.

Val nods at him, smiling, "Yeah," and then after a while, "So, you want me to believe that this is just for us to hang out?"

Josh nods, and then slowly shakes his head, before settling with a terse shrug.

Valerie narrowing her eyes, shakes her head, but just as she opens her mouth, she is interrupted by Zach soundly slurping his Coke. Huffing, she crumples up a tissue paper into a ball and throws it at him. That brings him out of his feast mode for a moment and look up at the both of his friends.